On the agenda: East Grand Forks meeting — Data Center (Feb 10)

AGENDA – February 10, 2026

AGENDA
OF THE WORK SESSION
CITY OF EAST GRAND FORKS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2026 – 5:00 PM
Must Be Done By 6 P.M. – Due to Special Election
CALL TO ORDER:
CALL OF ROLL: DETERMINATION OF A
QUORUM: AGENDA:
1. Presentation from MNDOT on planned US 2B Reconstruction project in 2029 - Reid
Huttunen, City Administrator
2. Request to Proceed with Advertising for Facility Improvement Project Bid Package #2
3. Request Adoption of Preferred Growth Rate for the City of East Grand Forks - Teri Kouba,
Forks MPO Senior Planner
4. Request One-Off Residential Property Tax Abatements – Maggie Brockling, Economic
Development Director
5. Request to Advertise for Administrative Assistant - Jason Stordahl-Public Works Director

ADJOURN:

Upcoming Meetings
Council Meeting – Tuesday, February 17, 2026 – Council Chambers – 5:00 PM
Work Session – Tuesday, February 24, 2026 – Training Room – 5:00 PM
Council Meeting – Tuesday, March 3, 2026 – Council Chambers – 5:00 PM
Work Session – Tuesday, March 10, 2026 – Training Room – 5:00 PM
Individuals with disabilities, language barriers or other needs who plan to attend the meeting and will need special accommodations
should contact Nancy Ellis, ADA Coordinator at (218)-773-2208. Please contact us at least 48 hours before the meeting to give our staff
adequate time to make arrangements. Also, materials can be provided in alternative formats for people with disabilities or with limited
English proficiency (LEP) by contacting the ADA Coordinator (218)-773-2208 five (5) days prior to the meeting.
1

AGENDA # ___1_____

Request for Council Action
Date: February 10, 2026
To:

East Grand Forks City Council Mayor Mark Olstad, Council President Brian Larson,
Council Vice President Tim Riopelle, Council Members Tami Schumacher, Ben
Pokrzywinski, Dale Helms, Donald Casmey, and Karen Peterson.

Cc:

File

From: Reid Huttunen, City Administrator
RE:

Presentation from MNDOT on planned US 2B Reconstruction project in 2029

Background:
The Minnesota Depart of Transportation is planning to reconstruct US2B in East Grand Forks
during the summer of 2029. (State Project 6001-74). MNDOT has completed a preliminary
layout of the proposed improvements and will attend the Work Session to present the
proposed project.
Project Location map is included.
Budget Impact:
Unknown at this time.
Recommendation:
MNDOT is seeking feedback from City Council on the proposed project scope and timeline.
Attachments
- Project Location Map

2

SP# 6001-74
US 2B
Concrete Urban Reconstruct with ADA

Concrete Reconstruct

001

Signal Replacement
at 2nd Ave NE
3" Bituminous Mill and Overlay

Signal Replacement
at 2nd St NW
North
Dakota

East Grand
Forks

004
002

This work is licensed under the Esri Master License Agreement.View Summary | View Terms of Use

REFERENCE LEGEND
Reference Post
MnDOT Truck Hwy
City
County
Project Location

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

PROJECT LOCATION:

US 2B, FROM DEMERS AVE TO
US TH 2, PAVEMENT
REPLACEMENT W/SIDEWALK
IMPROVEMENTS

ROUTE: US 2B
SP#: 6001-74
LENGTH: 2.53 MILES
BEG. R.P.: 000+00.286
END R.P.: 002+00.737
3

²

0

0.15

0.3

Miles
0.6

The State of Minnesota makes no representations or warranties expressed or implied, with respect to the reuse of the data provided
herewith regardless of its format or the means of its transmissions. There is no guarantee or representation to the user as to the accuracy,
currency, suitability, or reliability of this data for a any purpose. the user accepts the data "as is". The state of Minnesota assumes no
responsibility for loss or damage incurred as a result of any user's reliance on this data. All maps and other material provided herein
are
protected
by
copyright.
Permission
is
granted
to
copy
and
use
the
materials
herein.

Path: X:\Groups\GIS\PROJECTS\Planning\Scoping\D2_STIP_2024_2027\6001-74\Proj_Location_6001-74.aprx

AGENDA ITEM #___2____

Request for Council Action
Date: 2/10/2026
To:

East Grand Forks City Council Mayor Mark Olstad, Council President Brian Larson, Council
Vice-President Tim Riopelle, Council Members Tami Schumacher, Ben Pokrzywinski, Dale
Helms, Donald Casmey, and Karen Peterson.

Cc:

File

From: Jeremy King, Parks and Recreation & Tom McDonald, Construction Engineers
RE:

Request to Proceed with Advertising for Facility Improvement Project Bid Package #2

Background:
The Steering Committee has been working with JLG and Construction Engineers on the Facility
Improvement Project at the Civic Center and VFW Memorial Arena. The project has completed the Design
Development (DD) phase for Bid Package #2 and is transitioning into the Construction Documents (CD)
phase. Bid Package #2 includes work at both facilities and generally consists of HVAC, mechanical, electrical,
accessibility improvements, site, and construction upgrades.
Advertising for Bid Package #2 at this time will help maintain the overall project schedule, avoid delays to
the start of construction, and support competitive pricing by allowing sufficient time for subcontractor
bidding and review.
Budget Impact:
There is no immediate budget impact associated with advertising this bid package. The Guaranteed
Maximum Price (GMP) will be brought forward for City Council consideration as the project progresses
closer to completion of the Construction Documents (CD).
Recommendation:
Move forward with advertising for Facility Improvement Project Bid Package #2.
Enclosure:
Materials will be available at the Work Session.

4

AGENDA ITEM #__3_____

Request for Council Action
Date:
To:

East Grand Forks City Council Mayor Mark Olstad, Council President Brian Larson, Council
Vice-President Tim Riopelle, Council Members Tami Schumacher, Ben Pokrzywinski, Dale
Helms, Donald Casmey, and Karen Peterson.

Cc:

File

From: Teri Kouba, Forks MPO Senior Planner
RE:

Adoption of Preferred Growth Rate for the City of East Grand Forks

RECOMMENDATION:
Adoption of 0.6% annual growth rate for the City of East Grand Forks.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Before the Forks MPO starts work on the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), we gather the data
needed to support the development of the MTP. A foundational piece of data is the population growth
and job or employment growth in the MPO planning area between the base year and the final year of the
MTP. The upcoming MTP will have a base year of 2025 and a final year of 2055.
In October 2025 the MPO contracted with SRF and Praxis to help with the analysis of growth in the
MPO Planning Area. We have invited local experts who work closely with job growth and economic
development to be part of a steering committee. We have held several focus group conversations to
obtain input from a broader range of subject matter experts, to obtain a robust perspective in the
community. SRF and Praxis have collected data from the Census and other sources to establish existing
job and household conditions.
A range of growth rate estimates have been identified including Low, Baseline and High rate of growth.
The Baseline annual growth rate of 0.6% population growth per year, resulting in 10,831 persons in the
City of East Grand Forks by the year 2055 is the most likely to occur based on past growth trends,
comparisons of projections in Minnesota and North Dakota, and the consultant’s analysis consultation
with area industry experts.
If adopted the Baseline growth rate will be used to establish housing, population, and employment
projections for the years 2040 and 2055 which will be incorporated into a travel demand model for the
region. This model is used in part to determine transportation needs out to the year 2055 to be
considered in the forthcoming MTP. This plan will identify a financially constrained list of
transportation needs out to the year 2055 for the region, qualifying them for federal transportation funds.
Given the plan is financially constrained having a most likely to occur growth rate is important.

5

May 2, 2002

Request for Council Action

Projecting population too low and it may reflect not enough demand for transportation projects in the
future, however projecting too high can be equally as counter productive as it may identify
transportation needs that may not be needed taking funding away from other projects that are more
likely to occur.
Historical Growth Rates for Cities and States

Period
1991-2024
2001-2024
2011-2024

Grand Forks
0.58%
0.82%
0.88%

1

Average Annual Growth Rate
North Dakota2
East Grand Forks1
0.07%
0.66%
0.63%
0.91%
0.26%
1.23%

Minnesota3
0.86%
0.72%
0.70%

Source:
1. Average percentages derived from decennial Census counts and ACS estimates.
2. Average percentages derived from single-year estimates produced by the North Dakota State Demographer / State Data Center.
3. Average percentages derived from single-year estimates produced by the Minnesota State Demographic Center.

The next steps will be to use the established land uses to divide the growth into Traffic Analysis Zones
(TAZs) so the data can be used in the MPO’s traffic demand model.
ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS:
• The 2025 estimated population for Grand Forks City is 9,113.
• The growth rates that the analysis finds reasonable are:
Forks Area Population Change 2025 - 2055

Area
MPA
MSA
Grand Forks City
East Grand Forks City
Grand Forks County
Polk County

Annual Change
Low
Baseline
High
0.5%
0.7%
1.2%
0.1%
0.3%
0.6%
0.5%
0.8%
1.2%
0.5%
0.6%
0.9%
0.3%
0.5%
0.9%
-0.4%
-0.3%
-0.2%

Source: SRF Forecast Model

2

6

Low
14%
2%
14%
14%
9%
-13%

Total Change
Baseline
22%
8%
23%
19%
16%
-10%

High
35%
18%
36%
26%
28%
-6%

May 2, 2002

•

Request for Council Action

Forks Area Population Forecasts
Area

2025

MPA
MSA
Grand Forks City
East Grand Forks City
Grand Forks County
Polk County

70,382
104,424
59,405
9,113
73,340
31,084

Low
80,464
106,763
67,823
10,428
79,755
27,008

2055
Medium
86,000
113,195
72,818
10,831
85,299
27,896

High
94,842
123,190
80,763
11,505
93,877
29,313

2055
Medium
+15,618
+8,771
+13,413
+1,718
+11,959
-3,188

High
+24,460
+18,766
+21,358
+2,392
+20,537
-1,771

Source: SRF Forecast Model

•

Forks Area Population Change Forecasts
Area

2025

MPA
MSA
Grand Forks City
East Grand Forks City
Grand Forks County
Polk County

70,382
104,424
59,405
9,113
73,340
31,084

Low
+10,082
+2,339
+8,418
+1,315
+6,415
-4,076

Source: SRF Forecast Model

SUPPORT MATERIALS:
Presentation
Project webpage: https://www.theforksmpo.org/plans_projects/2055_socioeconomic_study

3

7

2/4/2026

Socioeconomic Study
East Grand Forks Work Session
February 10, 2026

1

Tonight’s Goal
 Recommend a preferred Year 2055 forecast and annual
growth rate to adopt for East Grand Forks.

2

8

1

2/4/2026

Study Purpose

Socioeconomic
& Demographic
Forecasts

Local Land Use, Comprehensive,
Growth Plans, & Subarea Studies

Metropolitan Transportation Plan
& Other Long-Range Planning Efforts

3

Study Process
Data Collection

1

TAZ Allocation

Preferred Alternative

5

3

2

Baseline Analysis &
Forecast Scenarios

4

Socioeconomic
Detail

6

Document & Review

4

9

2

2/4/2026

Engagement Framework
Focus
Groups

Steering Committee networks

Steering
Committee

City and County Stakeholders,
Chamber, EDC

z

Project
Management
Team

MPO, Grand Forks, and East Grand
Forks Planning Staff

5

Cohort Component Model
 Group the population into 5-year age groups
 Run the age structure forward and adjust migration rates according to assumptions.
2055

2025

6

10

3

2/4/2026

Historical Population Trends
Period

Grand Forks

East Grand Forks

North Dakota

Minnesota

1991-2024

0.58%

0.07%

0.66%

0.86%

2001-2024

0.82%

0.63%

0.91%

0.72%

2011-2024

0.88%

0.26%

1.23%

0.70%

*Source: Decennial Census, ACS (5-Year), single-year estimates from ND State Data Center and Minnesota State Demographic Center

7

Contextual Factors
 Census has historically undercounted this market with its interim population
estimates
 Age structure and birth/death rates are basis for a positive growth projection
 Current housing market trends suggest growth pressure and in-migration recently
 Over past decade “primary” sector industries have outperformed “consumer”
sector
 Steady growth in the face of economic shocks over the past 30 years

8

11

4

2/4/2026

MSA EMPLOYMENT (THOUSANDS)

Historical Shocks
Canadian $$
Ag Downturn
State Budget Cuts
Air Force
Tankers
Relocated

Air Force
Missile Wing
Deactivated

Great
Recession

COVID-19
Flood and Fire

9

Future Economic Inflection Points
 Can manufacturing continue to drive growth?
 Can continued enrollment growth at UND sustain the region?
 Is Autonomous, Defense, and Space Systems the next growth lever?
 Does Health Care flip from a headwind to a tailwind?
 Will future Air Force missions spur growth?
 Will community attractiveness and quality of life assets be an attractant force in
the future?

10

12

5

2/4/2026

Focus Groups
 Four meetings
 26 participants
Strong participation from East Grand
Forks

 Format
 Assessment of recent growth or decline
 Identifying key trends pushing favor of
and against the region’s growth along
with key opportunities for growth
 Impressions about the region’s
hospitability for growth
 A point-in-time rating of the region’s
growth potential

11

Focus Groups
Tier 1
1. Growth is real but
deliberate.
2. Housing is the primary
constraint on growth.
3. Grand Forks and East
Grand Forks are on
divergent trajectories.

In a Nutshell:

Tier 2

Tier 3

4. Defense, autonomous
systems industries, and
space are the strongest
growth engines.

6. Demographic
headwinds are real but
understood.

5. For growth, quality of
life framing matters
more than raw
population.

7. Constraints on
infrastructure is
becoming a potential
growth risk.

The Grand Forks–East Grand Forks region is experiencing
steady, resilient growth constrained primarily by housing and
infrastructure capacity, with Grand Forks capturing most nearterm gains and East Grand Forks facing structural headwinds.

12

13

6

2/4/2026

Focus Groups

13

East Grand Forks Growth Scenarios

Period

EGF Migration
Rate

Average
Annual
Growth Rate

2055
Population

30-Year
Change

30-Year
Percent
Change

Low

2.6%

0.5%

10,428

+1,375

14%

Baseline

3.4%

0.6%

10,831

+1,718

19%

High

4.5%

0.9%

11,505

+2,392

26%

2025 Population Estimate: 9,113

14

14

7

2/4/2026

East Grand Forks Growth Scenarios

15

Discussion
1. Adopted forecast could be baseline,
low, or high, or a modified growth rate.
2. Adopted forecast will impact the MTP
travel demand model and future
roadway improvements.

16

15

8

AGENDA ITEM #___4____

Request for Council Action
Agenda Item: One-Off Residential Property Tax Abatements
Date: February 10, 2026
To: East Grand Forks City Council Mayor Mark Olstad, Council President Brian Larson, Council VicePresident Tim Riopelle, Council Members Tami Schumacher, Ben Pokrzywinski, Dale Helms, Donald
Casmey, and Karen Peterson.

Prepared by: Maggie Brockling, Economic Development Director
Cc: File

Staff Recommendation:
1.
Consider request of the one-off 2024 property tax abatement;
2.
Authorize EDA staff to move forward with one-off abatement process;
3.
Hold public hearing on this request at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 3, 2026;
Background:
This property was unintentionally excluded from the 2024 newly built tax abatement approvals due to a
technical oversight that caused it to appear as though it was not assessed at full value because a
veteran’s property tax discount was applied. This veteran’s property tax means the first $300,000 of the
home's value isn't taxed. The owner brought this to our attention in January 2026. The owner indicated
intentions to sell the house this year so adding the missed year onto this year’s regular approval batch
will not work.
•
•
•

Is there willingness to run an individual process for this one property outside of the normal tax
abatement approvals in the fall?
Should the school district or county decline applying tax credits, is the council open to covering
their portions?
The taxing entity breakouts are: City: $1,050.95 | School: $129.28 | County $555.54 for a total
rebate of $1,735.77

To prevent this from occurring in the future, the tax abatement standard operating procedure was
updated to include awareness of this tax credit. Staff plan to review the newly built home values-toproperty tax bills for this tax credit and any others the state/county tax credits that may be included going
forward.

16

AGENDA ITEM #___5___

Request for Council Action
Date: 2/6/2026
To:

East Grand Forks City Council Mayor Mark Olstad, Council President Brian Larson, Council
Vice-President Tim Riopelle, Council Members Tami Schumacher, Ben Pokrzywinski, Dale
Helms, Donald Casmey, and Karen Peterson.

Cc:

File

From: Jason Stordahl-Public Works Director
RE:

Request to advertise for Administrative Assistant

Background:
In 2023, following the resignation of Jeremy King, Public Works Supervisor, staff conducted a review of
the Public Works Department’s organizational structure. This review resulted in a modest restructuring
intended to streamline operations and improve efficiency. The Lead Equipment Operator position was
eliminated and the Foreman position was reinstated to provide clearer operational oversight. The
Administrative Assistant position was eliminated, with administrative responsibilities reassigned to the
Foreman and Supervisor roles. Additionally, select field duties were transferred from the Supervisor to
the Foreman position to better align responsibilities with daily operational needs.
Following the subsequent 2025 resignation of Erika Perez, Public Works Supervisor, staff again
reviewed departmental operations and determined that the structure implemented in 2023 was not
functioning as efficiently as intended. Operational challenges included inconsistent communication to
field staff due to overlapping supervisory direction, as well as gaps in responsiveness to the public when
neither the Foreman nor Supervisor was consistently available to address inquiries. These issues
contributed to staff and resident frustration, along with other operational inefficiencies. In light of the
vacant Supervisor position, the City Administrator and Public Works staff determined this was an
appropriate opportunity to reassess the department’s structure. As a result of this review, staff are
proposing a small restructuring that includes reinstating the Administrative Assistant position and
revising the Public Works Supervisor role.
Further details regarding the proposed revisions to the Public Works Supervisor position will be
presented to Council at a later date. At this time, staff are requesting Council authorization to advertise
and recruit for an Administrative Assistant position. The position is classified as a Grade 10 under the
City’s pay plan. Including salary and benefits, the total annual budget impact is $72,759. Funding for this
position was included in the approved 2026 City Budget.
Recommendation: Approve staff’s request to initiate the recruitment and hiring process to fill the
Administrative Assistant position.

17